To be forewarned is to be forearmed!


To:

All staff


From:, Area Head of Security East Africa

Date: 28th May 2007
Subject Security Advisory on Child Kidnapping.

The information below has been provided by Diplomatic Police Unit [DPU] to sensitize staff members to the possibility of kidnapping of children. A recent article in the Daily Nation of Friday, 4 May 2007, exposed a criminal element of kidnapping children in the Nairobi area.

A criminal ring associated with Mungiki sect has been kidnapping children and demanding ransom from their parents. This is happening in Mungiki strong holds like Dandora, Kariobangi and Mathare Estates here in Nairobi. The criminals call the children's parents and demand unto a maximum of Kshs 300,000 failure to which they threaten to kill the children and even their parents.

The Mungiki appear to be changing tactics as police are gradually chasing them out of Matatu terminini and stages where they have been getting their main source of income. (By charging Matatu operators illegal route fees)

Reports from Buruburu Police indicate that there have been three kidnappings over the last two weeks in Dandora area alone. Although the kidnappings are solely centered in the Eastern part of Nairobi i.e. Dandora, Kariobangi and Mathare slums which are Mungiki strongholds, the possibility of this new type of crime spreading into other areas in Nairobi and Central province cannot be ruled out more so if the police cannot curb it in time. However the Kenya Police report that they have crucial leads that they are following and they will soon be able to contain the Mungiki.

I am sure that such news obviously sends chills down our spines and has every father, mother, sister, brother, aunt, uncle or niece getting worried. Please find below a few tips that will minimize the chances of a member of your family becoming a victim:

1) Children need to be taught to be cautious and to be a Little suspicious of strangers (care must be taken, of course, not to turn your child into a paranoid). The goal of most parents is to get their child to be outgoing and friendly with strangers; this can be a big mistake. Teach your child to be careful.

2) Care should be taken when picking out baby sitters/ house help; a baby sitter has a lot of responsibility. You should consider things other than the cost of the sitter when you're hiring someone to look after a child. Older children are not always good baby sitters; find out about a baby sitter BEFORE you leave your children with them.

3) Do not let children wander or play along the streets totally unsupervised. Don't allow children to go to questionable areas of the town or city you're in, and be sure they are always supervised when outside.

4) If they're small, don't let children play in the yard where you can't watch them and be sure the bedrooms for each of your family members are well out of an area where a person could easily break in (having your bedrooms on the second story of a house makes a lot of sense).

5) The rich are more apt to suffer from a kidnapping which is designed to generate a ransom. If you are rich or famous, then the chances are better than average that you or a member of your family may be a kidnap victim. Keep a low profile, there is a general is conception among Kenyans that people employed by NGO's are better paid.

6) Any threatening phone calls or letters should be reported To the Police even if they appear to be a hoax. Even if the person who is harassing you is only perpetrating a hoax, he should be caught and punished. Many such hoaxes are often unstable and may become dangerous if they aren't helped. Kidnappers and killers of well-known people have a history of mental problems and often have made numerous threats before actually carrying one of them out. Often family members of a kidnapping victim only learn of a kidnapping when the criminal calls to make his demands. If this happens to you or your family, it is essential that the person answering the phone learn as much as possible. Any clue may speed up the rescue of the kidnap victim. The person answering the phone must pay careful attention and take notes immediately before they forget any details (having a note pad by the phone is a good idea).

7) If the victim of the kidnapping has any special medical conditions, be sure the kidnappers know about them (it may be impossible to convey this information, but try).

8) After the criminal has finished calling, get in touch With the Police. After they have been contacted, try to reach the family member that the caller said was kidnapped. You may find that the call is a hoax or there might have been a foul-up that prevented the family member from being kidnapped.

9) If you are able to reach the family member, he or she must take measures to get into a safe area since the kidnappers may have made an error in timing and might still attempt the kidnapping. Calling the family member may give them a warning and time to thwart the soon-to-be-attempted crime.

10) Shortly after being contacted, the Police may arrive at your home to ask an array of questions which will aid them in saving your family member from harm. Again, remain calm and try to answer their questions to the best of your ability. It would be advisable to meet with the police away from your residence as the kidnappers may be monitoring your movements. A trusted member of the family or friend can be entrusted with dealing with the police. (The safety and security office will provide any necessary assistance).

11) When speaking to the Police in your home, exclude any servants, maids, etc., from the discussion (probably the Police will do this, but if not, then try to do so yourself).

12) If the hired help has seen suspicious persons, etc., the Less the hired help hears in the way of other's descriptions, the less likely they are to have their memory of what they've seen changed and influenced. Any descriptions they have will be more valuable to the Police.

13) The less each of the people who work for you knows about the Police plans, the better since it is remotely possible that one of the hired hands may be working in concert with the kidnappers. Keep any "inside" criminal involved in the kidnapping from sitting in on the plans being made by you and the police.

14) In hostage and kidnap situations, time is on the side of the victim. The longer a victim remains alive, the better his chances of surviving the ordeal (provided negotiations don't break down). The first few minutes are often the deciding factor.

15) Chances of surviving are improved if the victim engages the kidnappers in small talk, etc. This will cause the criminals to see the victim as a person rather than a thing. Later on, this will make it harder for them to kill the victim if things get down to that. Getting on a talking basis could save the victim's life.

16) The kidnapping victim should keep track of what is going on, what the kidnappers are doing, what they call themselves, how many of them there are, etc. This information may be needed to help in the victim's escape or to later identify the kidnappers.

17) The kidnapping victim should not tell the criminals their demands can't be met (nor should those who speak to the criminals during the initial phone call). Telling them that may make them panic and kill their victim!

18) While the victim should act passive, he should be careful that he doesn't pass up a chance to escape if it presents itself. Usually after the initial first hours of the kidnapping the criminals will become careless if the victim has shown no signs of trying to escape. Unless the kidnapping victim is in immediate danger, he should bide his time and wait for a slip-up among the criminals and then use the opportunity to escape.

19) It is recommended that all households should have a house Phone that is fully charged at all times and has been programmed with the following: Both parents phone numbers, nearest hospital numbers, family doctor's numbers, trusted family friends and relatives' numbers and police and fire brigade numbers.

20) Advise and train your children and house help not to ever give out mobile and telephone numbers to anybody, let that be your DUTY.

NB:
In hiring household, child care, drivers and grounds keeping staff, request official identification documents, make photo copies and consider requesting the Police to conduct a background check of the individual(s) based on the identity documents. Ensure that references are requested of candidates and personally check with the references that the information is accurate and that the individual is reliable. Record residential addresses and contact information for those that you employ or are screening for employment.